Peninsular Malaysia january-february 2018


 
 

Common Mynah attacks a small Viper on a coconut palm at Frangipani Resort on Langkawi Island

Peacefull dove (Geopilia striata) on the Langkawi beach at Frangipani Resort

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Asian Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) over Frangipani Resort, Langkawi

Enormous langousters, caged up for absolutely fresh seafood at a floating Restaurant!

Mangrove Tour at the NE corner of Langkawi Island - in Kilim Geoforest Park.

Bats in the "Bat-cave" of Kilim Geoforest Park - no flash used - only a small headlight!

Hundreds of bats - 3 different species, we were told - rest here - and you come so close to them!

The bat cave has more than just hundreds of bats ... .

Mangrove Tour - with japanese selfies - all the time!

Long-tailed Macac are omnipresent in SE Asia - also in the mangrove

They are good swimmers - when fed with peanuts from the boats

One of at lest 3 species of squirrels, we met on this trip

Keeping the feathers in pristine order is the key to survival

This couple of Pied hornbills were very cooperative at Frangipani's

Hibiscus flowers provide nectar for many birds

Monitor lizzards were frequently seen in the lowlands

These Dusky Leaf monkeys are considered shy - but in a roadside tree, they were rather relaxed

Another squirrel species on the coconuts - smaler than the other ones in this page

Busy collecting nest material

White-Headed Munia are abundant in a corner of the Frangipani Resort

Frangipani Restaurant - almost at the water's edge - and fishig boats with green lights at large!

Chinese Temple in Georgetown, Penang Island

Old colonial buidings in downtown Georgetown could use a make-over - but sadly, many are going to waste

Yeap Noodles - really excellent food at an impressively low cost!

"Little India" in Georgetown is unmistakable - you see it - and smell it!

Small honneybird in the Botanical Garden of Georgetown

Impressive waterlilly in the pond in front of the Botanical Garden

Asian Glossy Starlings in the lowlands - they were very cooperative on this day

Another species of squirrel in the trees in Banding Island

Rainforrest is being cleared to make a new Orang village after the death of the former Chief of the present village

An elephant track in the rainforrest used very frequently - but not on this day

A "Lighthouse" beetle - this one without the headlight - one of 4 colour variants of the species

This is an "Elephant's Mine" - where they dig out and lick important minerals from the underground!

Flying lizzard on Banding Island - I don't know the exact species

Tillapia fish farming in the lake, where Banding Island is found - feedingtime - again!

The Raflesia has no leaves, but live on the liana roots - but not in flower on this day despite the huge shoot
- it will flower in 3-4 days - a meter across and beautifull colours (and a very bad smell) - our bad luck!

Bullfrog from the vivarium

A spider in the Butterfly Garden

This species of Chipmunk was new to me - the most beautifull, I've ever seen

Wandering Leaf - a fierce predator in the mantis family

Cameron Highlands BOH Tea plantation - the original english owned one - and the Mansion

Tea all over - and it goes to national consumption - no export worth mentioning!

In the lowlands, oil-palms are planted at an alarming rate - and the forrest - and wildlife - gone forever!!

Scolopenders 10 cm+ - probably making more scolopenders

Coelogyne and much more wild orchids in these trees in the highlands

Strehlitzia at Strawberry Park - potted, obviously

One of the few flowering orchids in the Mossy Forrest at this time - I'm not sure of the species

At least 4-6 different wild orchid species here - Oberonia sp. on the right!

Another Coelogye or related species in this tree - and last call for the Oberonia species at the right.

I have no idea of what species this is - but it's tiny in the flower - barely 1 cm across

Lots of these in the Mossy Forrest around Mt. Brinchang - the highest in the Highlands

Big epiphytic plants of several different species right on front of your eyes

Enjoy! - Could be Coelogyne kaliana or - corymbosa?

Native Orang / malaysian settlement - bamboo huts are still prefered by the original tribes

At least two different epiphytic orchid families and a beautiful fern in this shot

Greenhouses / Shadehouses in huge numbers in the valleys of Cameron Highlands

Trucks loaded with flowers go the the Distribution Centers - Roses, Chreysantemum and many others - in Thousands!

Arundinia gramminifolia - "Bamboo-orchid" at the roadside - thousands of them!

Spathoglottis plicata with developing seed-pods

The original rainforrest devastaded for timber - and replanted with oil palms or rubber trees

The sad story is that this still happens - and expands - because it unfortunately still pays off!

Full moon over Taman Negara - maybe the oldest rainforrest in the world - noone really knows!

This is original rainforrest of Taman Negara

"River Safari" - nice - but not so interresting after all - too fast and not enough time to see things

This snail is seen only at night - if you are on the look-out - no flash used - only the head-light!

This tiny tree-frog has a very impressive loud voice - at max 3-4 cm in body length!

Only 5-6 mm tall off the tree - but over 10 cm across - this spider species is quite impressive

This is to be expected - Wild Boars passing absolutely silently - and I only got this one shot ..

What is the name for this bird - I don't know

These beautifull lillies thrive in the resort garden - but Anne-Marie's picture below is better!

Street-kitchen in Kuala-Lumpur - and outstanding!

Great fruits of many types - but my allergies unfortunately says no

Goura scheepmakeri - Southern Crowned Pigeon is a majestic bird - here on the nest!

Buffy Fish-owl (Ketupa ketupu) at the Bird-Park in Kuala Lumpur - as the others showed here

Spotted Wood-owl (Strix soluputo) - taking a nap

Black Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Garden - I don't know the name of the species

The trees are litterally packed with orchids in the Mossy Forrest of Camron Highlands

Small Lizzard in the lowland forrest

Black Mahseer in the Royal Belum Resort Pond on Banding Island

Butterflies seeking the moisture and minerals in the Elephant's Mine - I wonder, who's in the hole?

Third monkey species recorded on this trip - and I don't know the name species

Off on the Mangrove Tour - and the Andaman Sea
n

Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) in Taman Negara Nationalpark

Common mynah (Acridotheres tristis) - present everywhere in Malaysia and SE Asia

Mangrove trees can grow in the saline environments of the tides

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Boat-paragliding at Langkawi at sunset over the Andaman Sea

Pied Hornbill in a coconut palm in the park of the Frangipani Resort.

Full speed over the Andaman sea at Langkawi for the Mangrove Tour!

The bat-cave is not big at all - in fact, rather small - but spectacular - absolutely worth a visit!

Mangrove trees filter the sediments of rivers and tides - and captures nutrients to the benefit of both animals and other plants.

Sea-eagles in combat!

Brahmeny Kite - Malaysias national bird - and allways a beautifull sight

Feeding fish at a floating restaurant - before being fed to the guests later on ..

Countless boats for hire at the mangrove

Green lights at sunset - the fishermen are back for another night's fishing

The restaurant af Frangipani serves very good food - and an excellent view over the Andaman sea

At last I got a clear shot at the Black Hodded Oriole - a very elusive bird

Not the biggest of the kind - but still impressive

This is a near-threatened species due to habitat loss - but as we walked along the road, we were no threath

The impressive Brahminy kites are everywhere - and are the Malaysian National Bird

Coconut fibers for the nest-building

Pink Frangipani flowers at the Resort

Small gecko on the wall of the terrase

The Langkawi Express from Penang / Georgetown - absolutely not recommended! - Go by airplane instead!

The old colonial part of Georgetown - the part, that is preserved

Foot Reflexology - I wonder why?

Hindu Temple in Little India

Tool merchant in Chinatown of Georgetown

Huge leaves on this aquatic lilly

A couple of Asian Glossy Starlings in courtship in a perfect setting!

Bull-frog in the pond of the Resort in Banding Island

The hole of a mature tarantula in the earth wall - but which one was not disclosed -

- but it could be like this one from the vivarium - 10 cm across or more

An Asian swallowtail butterfly - I don't have the exact name for it - but it's beautifull!

Several species of butterflies are attracted to the moisture and minerals in the Elephant's mine

Elephants have been devastating banana plants in these really steep slopes a few days ago.

I'm not shure what this fallen piece from overhead branches is - but it's often habitaded by orchids

Tillapia are the 3. most important farmed fish in the World - and they produce a lot here

"The Raflesia Spot" - but just a few days too early - 20 buds or more- but no flowers!

Skink in the vivarium

From the Butterfly Garden

From the Butterfly Garden

Impressive colours on this one

Black-Throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) - more clear in the colours here than in the books!

200 years ago this was unspoiled highland rainforrest - the brittish changed that - for ever!

Every 3 weeks, the fresh top tea leaves are harvested in this manor - 125 kg fresh leaves a day

BOH mountains in Malaysia - and indian tea-workers imported by the british owners

Tree-fern at Strawberry Park Resort - just in front of our balcony - with light from below at night

Rainforrest tempered wild orchids everywhere in the trees here

Totally beautifull - about 5 cm across

Dendrobium, Coelogyne, Oberonia and others ....

This flower of a bush is almost 15 cm wide - and I don't know the species

Orchids and Nepenthes growing together on this tree in the Mossy Forrest

Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum and more in this pinetree

Different wild Dendrobium and others - just outside the balcony in Strawberry Park
r
Nepenthes species in the Mossy Forrest - a carnivourus plant fsamily

Shadehouses in Cameron Highlands - for vegetables, strawberries and flowers

Spathoglottis plicata along with the Arundinia gramminifolia in the roadside - both are terrestrial orchids

Gardening in these thousands of shadehouses is really important here!

Young oil palms planted in this cleared rainforrest - no room for wildlife here anymore!

Hardwood timber - 100-400 years old - cut for centuries, and never returns - and are replaced by oil-palms - or tea!

Even the omnivourous monkeys do not venture into oil-palm plantations - there is nothing for them there!

Coelogyne or related orchid species everywhere - but most of them unfortunately not flowering at this time

Black-bellied Magpie (Pica pica) was seen rather often in the Highlands - and in the Mossy Forrest.

This tiny lizzard just had luck in the hunt

Tree-living bees have made the holes and live inside the tree - but only one wax entrance is still active

The Taman Negara Canopy walk - a waste of time in any respect - big time - don't bother!

One of many species of Rattan - all grow up very spiny - but most loose the spines with age - but start like this on the right

This big scorpion is flourescent under UV-light - glowing very impressively - I didn't know that beforehand!

They're big and awesome - and flat!

Monitor lizzard in the park

Impressive roots on many of the lowland rainforrest trees - but almost no orchids here!

"Monkey scare-crow" in front of the resort linnen-depot - and it works

The new Royal Palace, a few years old - no entry allowed - so - why?

Pedestrian area and market in Kuala Lumpur

Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur - you can get anything here!

Barred Eagle-owl (Bupo sumatranus)

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - also taking a nap ...

Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) is one of the biggest in the world - wing-span up to 26 cm!

This Coelogyne species were everywhere in the Mossy Forrest

Yellow/orange Raspberries growing wild in the forrest

This original Orang Village is being abandoned after the death of the village Chief last year - according to tradition!

Tidyness is important for a small, glossy bird

This is Anne-Marie's work - much better than mine of these lillies!
n

 

   

 

     
Nikon D5 and Tamron 18-400 mm F/3,5-6.3 Di II VC HLD - no flash at all!